M/W 3:45–5:05 | section SIX | intro to graphic design | Renée Stevens

Logo Current Event

This isn’t exactly a “current event” but I am really interested in the changing of the Starbucks logo. As a brand who’s logo is so powerful, its definitely an interesting move for Starbucks. Their previous logo has come to represent so many things, such as status, class, and of course, quality of coffee, its interesting to see that they would take this departure. However, I really feel like the aesthetic of the new logo will transition seamlessly. They seemed to have found the right mixture in holding on to some aspects, and losing others. For an example, they’ve maintained the same color palette, and kept the mermaid. By emphasizing only the Mermaid, the logo becomes much more simplistic. We’ve come to associate the Starbucks forest green with the brand already, and the logo also keeps the same shape.

All and all, I think this change is for the good. It’s much cleaner and easier on the eye.

Starbucks, too, cites a similar rationale for making the change. ”

From the start, we wanted to recognize and honor the important equities of the iconic Starbucks logo. So we broke down the four main parts of the mark — color, shape, typeface and the Siren. After hundreds of explorations, we found the answer in simplicity. Removing the words from the mark, bringing in the green, and taking the Siren out of her ring. For forty years she’s represented coffee, and now she is the star.

What was also interesting about the article is that a lot of people were upset that the brand name was no longer wrapped around the logo. As we’ve discussed in class, logo’s can exist independently of brand names and we can see this in Apple, Target and Nike.

I think this was a well thought out choice for Starbucks and aligns with the success of their brand.

What's due next on the blog

This week you will need to post a summary of the things you learned. In it we want you to include what you think was most beneficial about the class, what information you will use as you further your career, what you think could be improved upon, what you learned that stands out the most, and what you like most/least about the class.
>> due by 02nd May at 11:59pm---------------------------
Last week you needed to post an image of your favorite website. You needed to not only describe why you like it best in terms of design and content, but also explain how they lay it out and how it helps with navigation.
>> due by 25th Apr at 11:59pm---------------------------